Page 282 of Psycho Devils: Aran's Story 2

My hands trembled as I shoved my pipe between my lips.

John shuffled closer.

I took a step away from him.

Lothaire said quietly, “You must choose between Arabella and Orion.”

His words echoed like a gunshot.

Seven words. Seven bullets. I took each one to the chest.

No time to dodge.

The trembling in my hands became a full shake, and I pushed my fingers against my bruised eyes.

Everything went white.

Lothaire said something else, but I’d stopped listening. There was a commotion around me, and I barely registered it.

Nothing mattered anymore.

If it were anyone else, I might have had a chance.

Orion was Malum’s world.

A few days ago, Malum had lost control and nearly killed us all because he thought his mates were in danger.

This wasn’t a choice for our captain.

I’d never had a chance.

Someone jostled against me and knocked my fingers from my eyes.

The room was in shambles.

Lothaire was gone.

The wingback chair was tipped over and lying on the other side of the room. Scorpius restrained Orion, who was bucking and punching, trying to break his hold.

Malum was covered in flames, and his expression was devastated. Like someone had died. John and Vegar gestured wildly at him as they yelled.

He didn’t argue back.

Amid the chaos, Zenith stood still and stared at me.

I stared back.

The demon’s lips curled down in the smallest frown.

I scoffed and inhaled smoke. I didn’t need his pity.

Bang. Crash. Scorpius flung Orion against the wall, then slapped a hand over his mouth.

A muffled, high-pitched sound burned my ears.

Scorpius pressed both his hands against Orion’s mouth. Then the blind devil reared his fist back and knocked out his mate with a well-placed blow to the temple.

Orion slumped forward, and Scorpius caught him.

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